[se] you better let somebody love you

even my darkness shines for you

It's their first official Deepfrost out here in the Tramezzino, and for the first time since coming to Caido, Ronin thinks that perhaps he's looking forward to Longnight. Fireflies and lanterns and keeping cosy by the fire; it's the exact kind of quiet vacation they'd dreamed about for so long, and now it will roll in with the passing of the days, like it ain't no thing.

Even the thought has Ronin smiling to himself behind his scarf; it's fairly early in the morning and has just recently stopped snowing, and for all intents and purposes, he's all alone amongst the pines. Of course this is never strictly true (who knows where his husband and Sugar might be lurking at any time), but it's peaceful all the same.

Or it is, until the steady thock of an axe biting into wood hits the air; each swing is almost ridiculously easy, even after a year of 'retirement', but all the same, Ronin relishes the physical labour. He steps back as the creak of a falling tree fills his ears, waiting for it to collapse in the fresh snow before he steps forward to commence chopping it into wood to be dried and seasoned.

the

DARKSTAR

Table coding by Sky

REMI

the lullaby

kidnap me from my reality
& crushed pieces of my soul

Who knows indeed.

Like any good horror movie, we might imagine a shot of Ronin with his back turned, arms raised, wacking away at a massive tree just like tiktok guy. Maybe a bit of snow falls off of a tree branch nearby, and though the Huntsman doesn't turn, the camera does. Panning around, there is nothing to see and nothing to hear, save for the vast silence broken only by the echo of Ronin's axe.

The tree falls and a few birds flee their perches, though one might expect them to be unbothered by the sound of falling trees.

Snow groans as the pressure of something large forces it together. Predatory and poised, it prowls forward, taking slow and methodical steps. Massive pawprints in the snow make it appear as though the creature has only two legs, but that's only because it's careful to place its hind paws in the tracks left by its fronts.

All at once the creature darts forward; shoulders low, wings tight against its flanks, and tail curled tightly where it is out of the way. With a measured lunge, Remi pounces towards Ronin, aiming to knock the Huntsman into a snowbank.

colour me outside the lines
until my shattered heart is whole

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

even my darkness shines for you

It has been a long time since a luxere was the worst thing Ronin could conjure up in response to an animal threat, but despite the addition of a predator in his blood, the dragon is as docile as it gets at this time of year. And so it is that - with an almost imperceptible pause that Remi will doubtlessly still notice - he recognises the subtle changes in the environment (scent, sound, perhaps a prickle up the back of his neck?) and does very little to respond to them.

Because sometimes it's just nice to be caught, right?

That's Ronin's opinion as he's pounced, anyway, the Huntsman flailing the arm holding the axe and letting out a yelp. And down they go, tumbling into the snowdrift, all massive paws and sodden scarves and a scattering of pine needles. "There's snow in my shirt!" he complains through a laugh that's muffled by fur, Ronin attempting to move the manticore enough to see or breathe.

the

DARKSTAR

Table coding by Sky

remi

A lot's been changin' lately and I can't tell
If it's me or if it's everybody else

Remi's face is the size of Ronin's entire body, and so it's with massive green eyes that he peers down at his prey husband, muscles twitching and awaiting permission to finish him off. Instead of cracking Ronin's skull between his jaws like a pistachio shell, the massive feline just presses his forehead against the Huntsman's chest like some oversized housecat. I knew I would find you out here. Working. This final word is accompanied by a pulse of horror and disgust. I am quite sure we could survive LongNight having done absolutely no prep, you know. The manticore mumbles as his wings relax from his sides and flop against the snow. All at once Ronin will feel the weight of the mythical creature begin to lessen and lessen until it becomes negligible; replaced by a round ball of black and grey.

Honestly, I am surprised you are as worried about keeping warm as you are, and not about snacks. The pair could keep themselves warm well enough, and though there were plenty of ways to snack on one another, eventually not even a pair of demigods would be able to satisfy their own (literal) appetites.

we're only human but w?'ve got hands & hearts & noses
So stop and sm?ll the fuckin' roses

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

even my darkness shines for you

If Ronin is grumbling then it's entirely out of happiness, the Huntsman reaching up to plunge his fingers into the manticore's shaggy mane, as if he can scritch behind massive ears if only he can find them. Of course, by the time he even gets close, Remi is shrinking into a ball of fluff, ruined wings becoming little more than old scars hidden in fur.

"You know I like to get out in the snow," he says by way of explanation. And by way of apology, he smooths his hands against a masked, whiskered face, raising his eyebrows at the idea that he's missed something so obvious. "Snacks," he hisses. "What a fool I am. Come on - we'll go and do some foraging, and I'll finish chopping my wood later."

Grinning and waggling his eyebrows now, Ronin carefully rolls to his feet with the raccoon cradled against his chest. "Do you think the waterfall will freeze if it gets cold enough?" he asks conversationally.

the

DARKSTAR

Table coding by Sky

remi

A lot's been changin' lately and I can't tell
If it's me or if it's everybody else

Unbothered by his husband's request, Remi's button eyes stare blankly up at Ronin, interested only in fuss and the prospect of food. Given how very little leverage he has in this shift, the raccoon is able to do little to dissuade Ronin, and so instead he fixes his gaze on a splinter of wood caught against the Huntsman's jacket. If you did not want to be in the snow, you should not have fallen into it. He offers before nibbling at the wood like a piece of corn on the cob.

Despite his lackadaisical attitude in this shift, Remi is still Remi, and so it's with a boneless twist of his head that he turns to look in the direction of the waterfall. It is moving much too fast to freeze. He says, spitting out bits of wood and looking offended that they'd gotten stuck in his teeth. Besides, there is less oxygen in the air up here. More oxygen makes the water colder, so with less, it necessarily has to stay a certain temperature. The raccoon thinks this rather matter-of-factly as he starts to sniff towards Ronin's pockets, lured by the thought of potential snacks hidden there.

we're only human but w?'ve got hands & hearts & noses
So stop and sm?ll the fuckin' roses

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

even my darkness shines for you

"It's true. How clumsy I must be, to have fallen so terribly into this snowdrift." Ronin says dryly, though of course he has no chance of remaining anything close to unimpressed with the raccoon on his chest. Partially because look at Remi, but mostly because he's enamored with his husband regardless of what shape he chooses to take. And so, with the little furry ball safe in his arms, the Huntsman absently scritches behind Remi's ear as he gets his feet beneath him once more.

"Oh I see," he murmurs at his husband's detailed explanation as to why he's so foolish to think such a thing, though honestly he'd have been happy with Huh, I dunno, as a response. "That's a shame. I thought we might have skated down it."

As for the snuffling in his pockets, Remi has never been disappointed yet and it's not going to start today; he'll find a small paper bag of trail mix, some strips of jerky, and a hunk of chocolate. Maybe he'll even share it.

the

DARKSTAR

Table coding by Sky

remi

A lot's been changin' lately and I can't tell
If it's me or if it's everybody else

Remi's little nose was twitching hard enough to have his whiskers bobbing up and down, though it all drastically comes to a stop at the mention of skating. Blinking a few times as if perhaps it was his explanation of the waterfall's properties rather than the physics of them which would prevent them from skating, the small creature huffs unhappily before brightening. We can skate in our dreams, and fish in real life. He decides, before continuing his expedition into the deep recesses of Ronin's pockets for the fabled treasure trove of snacks he assumed would be there.

Grasping a piece of jerky and a chunk of chocolate—both appearing comically large in the raccoon's clutches—Remi begins to rub the two together before giving it an experimental nibble. Deciding that this was, in his humble opinion, quite literally the best thing ever, Remi has to force himself to offer up a bit of his concoction to Ronin. Were you to ask him if it was harder not to maul his husband's face off as a manticore, steal his soul as a wraith, or share his snacks as a raccoon, he'd immediately answer that it was the latter.

Do you think the majority of the dragons around here will sleep through LongNight?

we're only human but w?'ve got hands & hearts & noses
So stop and sm?ll the fuckin' roses

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

even my darkness shines for you

"Ah, perfect. You are always so very clever," Ronin says to Remi's compromise, fluffing up the fur atop his little head to achieve raccoon-bedhead, all the while starting to trudge out through the snow and deeper into the meadow, where they can forage for chestnuts and berries - and if there are a few wild boar roaming around, well, all the better for them.

Following the manticore's deep pawprints in the snow for no other reason than it makes the going much easier, Ronin is observing his husband with the chocolate and the jerky, trying to decide if he's preparing to eat it or start a fire with it. "Oh, so it's good?" he grins, leaning in for an experimental nibble of choco-jerky. And okay, Remi absolutely has a point about it. Snack unlocked.

"Mm, they might," he says slowly. "The dragon in me wants to snooze Deepfrost away. But it might be that there are just a lot of white dragons. They don't care much about the cold." Hint hint, Sugar.

the

DARKSTAR

Table coding by Sky

remi

A lot's been changin' lately and I can't tell
If it's me or if it's everybody else

If Remi minds this hairstyling he gives no notice (he doesn't). Content to trade snacks for transport, after a moment or so the raccoon seems to want a higher vantage point, and so, without absolutely no regard for the Huntsman, Remi wiggles, claws, and heaves himself onto Ronin's shoulders. Curling around the Huntsman's neck, he continues to offer up small chunks of chocolate-flavoured jerky (mind you, Ronin always seemed to get the smaller portions).

Makes sense. Yawning right next to Ronin's ear, Remi twitches his nose. I wonder how much of this is memory snow, and if it is...I wonder how big of a tower we could make".

Well, not tower.

Penis. How big of a penis they could make.

we're only human but w?'ve got hands & hearts & noses
So stop and sm?ll the fuckin' roses

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

even my darkness shines for you

Hunching his shoulders so as not to get cold, sharp little claws in the neck, Ronin is a little off balance but he manages not to throw them back into a snowdrift at least. And soon enough his husband is perched pretty much around his head, snorfling and yawning into his ear and suggesting the sorts of shenanigans which make the Huntsman want to stick devil horns to Remi's forehead.

But at the same time, who is he to resist? With a crooked smile he tries to glance across at Remi, but he only really ends up with a face full of soft fur (oh noooo). "I have very high hopes for us," he murmurs. "Though you might need to be in less of a delicate shape for this." Even with one arm bound and useless, Remi might be able to at least roll the balls foundations for their penis tower.

the

DARKSTAR

Table coding by Sky

remi

A lot's been changin' lately and I can't tell
If it's me or if it's everybody else

Oh stop that or you are going to give me a complex. The raccoon complains as his chariot husband shifts and hunkers and acts like a little movement from the raccoon is enough to upset a demigod's balance.

Good one. Remi thinks flatly back of his husband's pun, pressing his cold nose against the shell of Ronin's ear for good measure. Raising one eyebrow, the raccoon considers this for a moment, before shrugging bonelessly and fixing them each another bit of chocolate-jerky. A kraken perhaps. He suggests wickedly, imagining himself like some sort of aquatic king-kong, slorping up a massive penis of snow.

we're only human but w?'ve got hands & hearts & noses
So stop and sm?ll the fuckin' roses

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

even my darkness shines for you

"A complex? For what, exactly? You might not be heavy but you certainly have a fondness for putting cold claws in sensitive places. And wrapping your tail around my eyes," Ronin remarks with a grin, trying and failing to cringe away from his husband's cold and whiskered face as a nose is shoved in his ear. He manages to get them out into a relatively clear area - the Tramezzino and the waterfall is just about visible in the distance (which means, of course, that their snow penis will be visible as well, if it's large enough).

"A kraken?" He raises his eyebrows with amusement, already starting to gather up some snow to roll it into one of the majestic snow-testicles. "I wouldn't want your tentacles to freeze, though. That would be a shame."

the

DARKSTAR

Table coding by Sky

remi

A lot's been changin' lately and I can't tell
If it's me or if it's everybody else

"Sometimes you like having claws in your sensitive places" Remi counters with an offended sniff.

"And I would have to hold my breath the whole time." The raccoon adds, tightening his grip on his husband's shoulders as Ronin bends to begin the first ball. "Do you think ice ruins memory snow? I am just thinking if you flap about as a phoenix and freeze the outer bits, that might make them more sturdy." Making absolutely no attempt to move or help Ronin at all, Remi instead begins to fuss at a bit of fluff caught in the seam of the Huntsman's jacket.

"Maybe instead of asking Ludo to help with my arm I should just ask for a shift better suited to making giant snow penises."

we're only human but w?'ve got hands & hearts & noses
So stop and sm?ll the fuckin' roses

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!